Ten Pioneering American Women You Have Never Heard About

Founded in 1910 by feminist Clara Zetkin, International Women’s Day is a day to recognize women’s contributions to industry and society and their work outside of the home. Many women who have impacted American history are well known, such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Sojourner Truth. However, too many pioneering women have been left out of the conversation for too long. 

How well do you know the history of women’s contributions in the US? Are any of these names familiar?

Rachel Carson: Carson was the founder of today’s environmental movement. In the late 1950s, she wrote her extraordinary book Silent Spring, which pointed out the direct connection between DDT and the loss of bird life. It was met with fierce denial from the chemical industry, which tried to stop the book and made endless attempts to persecute Carson. 

Madam CJ Walker: Born Sarah Breedlove in 1867, Madam Walker was the first self-made Black female millionaire in America. There were other women millionaires, but their fortunes resulted from multi-generational wealth. Madam Walker made her mark by creating a line of hair products targeted at Black women. She eventually expanded the company internationally and was a patron of the arts, providing an intellectual forum for the Black literati of New York City during the 1920s.

Dr. Mae Jemison: Dr. Jemison is an American engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut. She became the first Black woman to travel into space when she served as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992.

Beulah Henry: Henry became known as “Lady Edison” for the number and variety of devices she invented that made daily life easier. The first of her inventions, a vacuum-sealed ice cream freezer, was patented in 1912. Henry was considered the most prolific woman inventor of the 1920s and continued to innovate for several decades. She held multiple patents for her inventions.

Martha Gellhorn: Gellhorn was a novelist, travel writer, and journalist considered one of the leading war correspondents of the 20th century. She reported on virtually every major world conflict that happened during her 60-year career. The third wife of Ernest Hemingway, she was known to insist that her husband’s name not be used when granting interviews. 

Susan Kare: Kare is a graphic designer who developed the key typeface and interface elements for the Apple McIntosh. She subsequently consulted with Microsoft, IBM, Sony Pictures, Facebook, and Pinterest and is known as the pioneer of pixel art and the graphical user interface. She is regarded as one of the most significant technologists of the modern age.

Althea Gibson: Everyone has heard of Venus and Serena Williams, but Gibson was the first Black woman to win a Grand Slam title, Wimbledon, and the US Nationals. She went on to win 11 Grand Slam tournaments and was a top athlete during the 1950s. She was also a professional and the first Black golfer to compete in the WPGA tour. 

Florence Howe: A key leader of the women’s studies movement and founder of the Feminist Press, Howe devoted her career to promoting the scholarship of women and amplifying overlooked voices. Authors whose titles have been published or republished by the Feminist Press include Zora Neale Hurston, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Barbara Ehrenreich, Willa Cather, Alice Walker, and the members of the Russian feminist performance group Pussy Riot.

Margaret Sanger: Sanger was a nurse, birth control activist, and writer who devoted her life to legalizing birth control and making it accessible to all women.  In 1921, she founded the American Birth Control League, the precursor to the Planned Parenthood Federation. She spent the next three decades campaigning to bring safe and effective birth control into the American mainstream.

Shirley Chisolm: Chisolm was the first Black woman to serve in the US Congress known for her outspoken advocacy for women and minorities during her seven terms in the US House of Representatives. Along with Gloria Steinem, Chisolm was a major force in the second-wave feminism movement of the 1960s.

These amazing women faced misogyny, racism, and public outrage as they broke barriers and changed history. They have etched their indelible marks on the canvas of history, challenging societal norms and transcending barriers. Their stories are a clarion call to continue the journey toward gender equality, honoring their legacy by forging new paths for future generations. Let us celebrate the power of their contributions and the unwavering spirit of progress they embody. While we’ve come a long way, we still have a long way to go.